Preventing Type 2 Diabetes With Vitamin D: Therapy Versus Supplementation
Authors: Malachi J. McKenna, Mary A.T. Flynn
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023)

EditorialsMarch 2023Preventing Type 2 Diabetes With Vitamin D: Therapy Versus SupplementationMalachi J. McKenna, MD and Mary A.T. Flynn, PhD, RDMalachi J. McKenna, MDDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, St. Vincent's University Hospital, and UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland and Mary A.T. Flynn, PhD, RDFood Safety Authority of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, and Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United KingdomAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M23-0220 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Vitamin D supplementation and vitamin D therapy are often conflated. Because of the notion that "more is better" (1), many healthy adults take vitamin D at higher doses than are required (2, 3). The need for vitamin D supplementation in the healthy population is determined by modeling total vitamin D intake from all sources—natural foods, fortified foods, and dermal synthesis—in conjunction with interpreting vitamin D status by measuring the circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-[OH]D) concentration (1).Multidisciplinary groups with expertise in vitamin D nutrition advise governments about vitamin D intake requirements and safe limits of intake in the population. The 2011 ...References1. Ross AC, Manson JE, Abrams SA, et al. The 2011 report on dietary reference intakes for calcium and vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine: what clinicians need to know. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96:53-8. [PMID: 21118827] doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2704 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Cummings SR, Rosen C. VITAL findings - a decisive verdict on vitamin D supplementation [Editorial]. N Engl J Med. 2022;387:368-70. [PMID: 35939583] doi:10.1056/NEJMe2205993 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. McKenna MJ, Lyons OC, Flynn MA, et al. COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements. BMJ Open. 2022;12:e059477. [PMID: 35926985] doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059477 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Cashman KD. Vitamin D deficiency: defining, prevalence, causes, and strategies of addressing. Calcif Tissue Int. 2020;106:14-29. [PMID: 31069443] doi:10.1007/s00223-019-00559-4 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Vitamin D and Health. Crown; 2016. Accessed at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/537616/SACN_Vitamin_D_and_Health_report.pdf on 24 January 2023. Google Scholar6. Aloia JF, Katumuluwa S, Stolberg A, et al. Safety of calcium and vitamin D supplements, a randomized controlled trial. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2018;89:742-9. [PMID: 30180273] doi:10.1111/cen.13848 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Billington EO, Burt LA, Rose MS, et al. Safety of high-dose vitamin D supplementation: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020;105:1261-73. [PMID: 31746327] doi:10.1210/clinem/dgz212 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Jolliffe DA, Camargo CA, Sluyter JD, et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis of aggregate data from randomised controlled trials. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2021;9:276-92. [PMID: 33798465] doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00051-6 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Appel LJ, Michos ED, Mitchell CM, et al; STURDY Collaborative Research Group. The effects of four doses of vitamin D supplements on falls in older adults: a response-adaptive, randomized clinical trial. Ann Intern Med. 2021;174:145-56. [PMID: 33284677] doi:10.7326/M20-3812 LinkGoogle Scholar10. Pittas AG, Kawahara T, Jorde R, et al. Vitamin D and risk for type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data from 3 randomized clinical trials. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:355-63. doi:10.7326/M22-3018 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Malachi J. McKenna, MD; Mary A.T. Flynn, PhD, RDAffiliations: Department of Clinical Chemistry, St. Vincent's University Hospital, and UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandFood Safety Authority of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, and Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, United KingdomDisclosures: The authors have reported no disclosures of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-0220.Corresponding Author: Malachi J. McKenna, MD, St. Vincent's Private Hospital, Suite 4, 1st Floor, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 N2E0, Ireland; e-mail, malachi.mckenna@ucd.ie.This article was published at Annals.org on 7 February 2023. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoVitamin D and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in People With Prediabetes Anastassios G. Pittas , Tetsuya Kawahara , Rolf Jorde , Bess Dawson-Hughes , Ellen M. Vickery , Edith Angellotti , Jason Nelson , Thomas A. Trikalinos , and Ethan M. Balk Metrics Cited byLatest clinical research March 2023Volume 176, Issue 3Page: 415-416KeywordsDiabetes preventionGlucose intoleranceType 2 diabetesVitamin D ePublished: 7 February 2023 Issue Published: March 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...